Throughout its history, the Library has developed techniques appropriate to its preservation responsibilities. Alongside traditional curative care and binding, new activities have been added: prevention and preservation, staff training and awareness-raising, digitization, research, and technology monitoring.
BnF’s laboratory enables a truly scientific approach by developing methods for analyzing materials and the ways in which they age and degrade.
Activities are spread across four distinct sites, coordinated within the Preservation Services Department by a central team based at the François Mitterrand Library (Site François-Mitterrand).

Laboratory: overview

The laboratory’s main role is to provide assistance and advice to staff responsible for preserving collections (curators and restorers belonging to BnF and agreed partner libraries), as well as to respond to requests from other institutions.

BnF’s scientific and technical laboratory, which has four chemists and three biologists, is based at two main sites: the Richelieu Library (Site Richelieu) and Bussy-Saint-Georges.

The laboratory works closely with laboratories specializing in preservation, and actively monitors scientific developments.

It hosts visits by students from schools of chemistry, physics, biology, and heritage restoration and preservation.

Examples of internships undertaken at the laboratory:

INP restoration department – end-of-course internship: - 2004 books section: “A study of the mechanical behavior of a 15th century illuminated manuscript in a 16th century binding” - 2005 photography section: “Study and restoration of an oversize glass plate photograph – an ambrotype” - 2006 books section: “Research into a splitting method applied to an 18th century English print: assessing the efficacy of and level of humidity caused by poultices”

BTS advanced diploma in Chemistry – first year internship: “Study of VOCs emitted by packaging boxes”